Seeing Stars in the Dark
by Dreams-of-Oompa-Loompas
Summary: Max finds herself in a normal life. Except she remembers everything, and no one else does. Not your typical 'Normal Life' story! VERY AU, FAX
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Hi. My name is James Patterson, and this is a random story I made. I didn't feel like publishing it, because money is overrated, as is fame.

(btw, that was sarcasm)

**A/N: **So, I got this idea in my head. I was bored. I think there have been stories like this, but who knows. So, here it goes:

Summary: Max wakes up one day to find that she's living the life she's always dreamed of: A NORMAL ONE. She lives with her mother, father, and little brother, and is currently dating JV quarterback star, Sam Quain. Her friends are not the ones she called family for so many years of her life, but normal, non-mutant ones (not that she's exactly the mutant herself), who talk about things like homecoming and cheerleading. Her teachers are not out to attack her with tasers, and she's never eaten out of a dumpster, much less ever flown in something other than a plane. But as she encounters the remains of her former life; Fang, a silent loner, dark stranger to her friends, who still lurks in her heart; Iggy, with 20/20 sight and a gang of trouble-makers; Nudge, surrendered into a group of fashion zombies, who only talk about _Cosmo_ _Girl_ and the latest fashions of Paris; Gazzy, the sweet little blond boy who is now buried behind a stack of books; sweet and small Angel, now a shy little girl hiding behind glasses and messy blonde curls, pieces of the puzzle start putting themselves together.. And suddenly her "normal life" spins way out of normality.

Ok, enough with the very long summary. Onto the not-so-long story! Whoo!

I AM MAKING A PROMISE TO MY READERS FROM OTHER STORIES THAT I WILL FINISH UNCHARTED DESTINATION AND MAKE 97 MORE DRABBLES FOR MR. PROMISE.

There, got it in writing, huh? ;D Take screenshots, use it as blackmail to make me write. ::wink::

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**Chapter One- Waking Up**

I woke up feeling strange.

No, I already knew about the wings on my back, that I was part bird, that a voice spoke to me inside my head, and that I was on the run from half-wolf Erasers with my other mutant 'siblings.'

There was something soft covering me, and for once I wasn't freezing when I woke up. My eyes snapped open, looking around my surroundings in fear. Why the heck was there a boy-band poster staring me in the face? Why was I covered with a blanket? Why, when I looked out the window, could I see houses and yards and pools? Why was my lamp freakin Hello Kitty? And more importantly--where was the flock?!

"Maaaxxxxxxxxx," a little boy's voice called me from outside the door of this room, and I felt my heart speed up in fear. Where was I? Was the School up to something else?

In a panic, I looked around the room, feeling an urge to throw around everything as if I would find my flock under the bed or behind the wooden desk. But then a small, oh-so-familiar, little boy skipped into the room, a huge smile on his face.

"Maxxxx! Mom says you won't get pancakes if you don't hurry!" He cheerfully said as he slammed the door against the wall, so the door was fully open. I jumped back, pressing myself to the wall. Ari?

"Max?" He walked closer with a confused look. "What's wrong?"

My mouth still hanging open, I forced out a sentence. "Nothing. I'll be right down." I said in a strained voice, and he nodded, running back down the stairs at a seven-year-old speed.

I closed the door quickly, looking around the room for cameras, some evidence that I was in an experiment, that something here was of the norm. I ran to the window, trying to force it open, but it was either painted shut or forced that way so I couldn't escape.

Suddenly, I froze. I reached behind me, feeling my back. My wings? Where were my wings? I pulled up the back of my shirt and looked in the mirror; I was met with smooth skin, no way to hide any genetic abnormalities.

What was going on?

"Maaaxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx!" Ari's squeaky voice called up again. I shuddered at the memories in comparison: little Ari, following me around like a puppy, then Eraser Ari, trying to kill me and attacking my flock, tearing at Fang, at me.

Fang. Where was he? What happened?

Iggy. Nudge. Gasman. Angel. Where was my flock? I started breathing fast, trying to slow down my breath.

_'Relax Max.'_

Aha, so the voice was still here! _What's going on?_ I asked it. Maybe for once, it'd answer a question!

_'I'm not sure. Something happened with the dimensions, everything is twisted around.'_

Gah, even the Voice didn't know what was going on! _Ya think? Where is my flock? _I bitterly responded.

_'They're still here. They just won't remember you.'_

I sat down on the bed, holding my head in my hands as I looked around warily. _What do you mean, won't remember me?!_ I squeaked the last part aloud, rubbing my temples.

_'This isn't the world you know Max. This is an alternate universe. One where you where never an experiment. Where you and the others were born and raised like normal children.'_

Now the Voice decides to get chatty. "Alternate universe? Psh. I've seen just about everything now." I growled under my breath.

"Are you ok Max?" Another familiar voice called from outside the door. I stood, and stared at it for a moment, before it opened.

"Max?" Dr. Martinez's head poked into the room. She had a small frown on her face, and was staring at me with motherly worry.

"Fine." I managed. In an alternate universe, Dr. Martinez was my mom? What did this mean? I blinked, and stared back at Dr. Martinez. 'Mom.'

"Ok hon, get down here for breakfast or you'll miss your bus." She smiled, closing the door again as I listened to her footsteps head downstairs.

A bus. Like a normal, regular, non-mutant kid. I felt my back again, and it was still as bare and light as earlier.

_Voice?_ I called in my mind, in need of asking another question. No response. Just greeeaaatttt.

I changed into some clothes in from the closet, still looking around 'my room' cautiously. I stomped down the stairs quickly, finding that the table was covered with empty plates and dirty napkins, all except one.

"Hurry up Max, you'll miss your bus," 'Mom' said quickly as she handed me some toast and pushed me out the door, kissing the top of my head. I stumbled out, uncoordinated by the loss of weight I was experiencing since this morning, when I was suddenly 100 human again. A bus pulled up in front of the house and the doors opened. I stared at the driver for a moment, mulling over whether he could be an Eraser or not.

"Max!!" A girl's voice called from the bus window as she opened it. "Get in here! WE HAVE SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT!"

"Getting in or not?" The bus driver asked as he moved to close the doors. I looked around quickly, then jumped up the stairs, taking them two at a time. I nearly fell over the bus seats as the vehicle pulled out fast.

"Max!" A girl squealed, and I jumped out of my skin as she grabbed my arm and pulled me down. Who was this girl and what was she so eager to talk about! I pulled my arm out of her hands.

"Oh my god, I can't believe you weren't on AIM last night, I just HAVE to tell you all about my date with Jake!!!" She squealed happily, clapping her hands together. I looked at her and tried to stop my eye from twitching. Please Voice, tell me this girl is not my friend.

She started chattering about her date, and I tried not to cringe every time she squealed.

"Maaaxxx, why are you not happy dancing with me!" She whined, jumping up and down in her seat. Wow this girl was a piece of work. I shook my head.

"Um, I'm just, really tired..." I lamely finished, tucking back a strand of hair. I stopped and looked at the strand, only to find it was colored pink. I had pink hair. Whyyyyy on earth did I have freaking pink hair!?

I pulled another strand, which was, thankfully, blonde. Great. So parts of my hair were pink. I was vaguely reminded of Nudge's dyed pink chunks, standing out in her dark hair. I felt myself frown.

"Are you ok Max?" The girl asked with a curious concern.

I felt like screaming 'No, I am not ok, I've just been thrust into an alternate dimension where I am 100 human, wingless, can't find my flock, and am stuck sitting next to you!'

...But you know me. Max the Subtle, that's what they call me.

"I'm fine. Just fine." Fine is my word of the day people, back off.

The girl, whom I found out her name was Kelly when she was vividly describing a conversation between her and 'Jake', continued to talk for the rest of the long bus ride. I stared out the opposite window once in a while. I felt like I was being watched, but not in an eerie way that freaked me out. I looked back to Kelly, who had stopped talking as we pulled in.

"I am so nervous, do you think he'll say anything?" She started up again as she pushed her hair back nervously. We stood to get off the bus, waiting behind some other kids. I stopped quickly behind Kelly, who had screeched to a stop as she waited for the other kids got off. I felt someone bump into my back, and subconciously tensed. _Relax, not Erasers trying to attack you._

"Sorry, I heard a voice mutter from behind me, a voice that made me almost turn around and tackle him in a hug. I froze on the steps of the bus and turned around.

Fang.

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A/N: Yes people, I know it's short. Bare with me here, it was either cut it off there, or cut it off way earlier. ;)

I will continue this, of course. Never fear. Sorry for any mistakes or errors. XD

**REVIEW AND I WILL MAKE YOU MAX-WORTHY COOKIES! AND ANOTHER CHAPTER!**


	2. Chapter 2

Seeing Stars in the Dark

A/N: I fail at updating, I know. The last few years have been crazy ones to say the least. Lots of computer switching as well, so I lost the original chapter 2 and 3, as well as my outline for the rest of the story, but that's ok. I've decided to keep writing anyways, after a review came into my inbox and I was in a writing mood. Hopefully my writing hasn't gone extremely downhill since 2007...::crosses fingers:: I really hope you enjoy this chapter, and review if you keep wanting to see more! I really want to finish this story, and hopefully my others, before the summer ends, because then it's back to school, and college is not an easy place where you have time to write fanfics lol. ENJOY AND REVIEW! :D

I couldn't believe my eyes. It was Fang. Fang was standing right in front of me. His eyes were dark and piercing as ever, except there was absolutely no familiarity in them when he saw me. He wore a dark shirt and jeans, and nothing with holes and tears in it. His hair was extremely messy, sticking up in all directions, but cut shorter then I was used to it. I stared at him for a few seconds, and he blinked back at me in confusion.

"Max..." Kelly tugged at my arm, looking at me like I was crazy. I hurried away from the bus, and the rest of the kids flooded out from the bus. Fang headed off to the school as Kelly pulled me in the opposite direction. I couldn't keep my eyes off him.

"What was that all about? Do you know him?" Kelly asked me, her hand still tugging at my sleeve as she pulled me to the entrance of the school. I finally looked away from Fang as he rounded a corner, and I took in my surroundings.

"Um...not really." I lied, remembering what the Voice said. He didn't know me here. Not that I even knew where here was. Ugh, why did the voice always have to leave right when I needed to have my questions answered!

"Well that was really weird, the way you guys looked at each other..." Kelly wondered aloud as I tugged my arm out of her grip, following her anyways. Apparently she seemed to be my best friend or something. We walked past some lockers and I did a quick 360 of all the exits. Some kids walked past us and I darted aside, watching them suspiciously. I still wasn't 100% sure what was going on, but the Voice had said something about another world. It was all so strange.

Kelly babbled on as I followed her into a classroom, I supposed my homeroom. God. The last time I was in a classroom was when the flock had been forced into going to school by Anne. Only this time I didn't have wings to help me escape. I subconsciously felt my back again, and was still thrown off by the flatness of it. I felt so...heavy.

"Hellloooo, are you listening to anything I said?" Kelly poked my arm. I had the urge to punch her in the face.

"Huh? Um, no." I curtly replied, shaking my head. She rolled her eyes and kept talking as she walked to her seat. I followed and sat down in an empty seat next to her, looking around at all the kids.

"Max...why are you sitting over there?" Kelly interrupted her own rant, looking at me oddly again.

"Oh...um..." I stammered, uncertain of anything in this weird place. "I like the view better here." I finally answered. Kelly raised an eyebrow, and opened her mouth to keep talking when the teacher walked in. As everyone started to pay attention, my mind wandered off.

_Voice? Are you there? _Dear god, please be there.

No response. I hate the Voice! I grumbled silently and took another look around the classroom. It was mostly full; a few empty seats here and there. The kids were your typical high school kids; you know, wingless? And I was one of them. This sucked so bad! I sat through my classes for the rest of the day, droning out the teacher's words and not even doing my assignments.

...

Finally, it was lunchtime. I was starving, even though my metabolism seemed to be normal like usual kids. Guess it was just stuck in my head that I had to eat so much. Kelly and I walked to the cafeteria together, as it seemed we had all our classes together. How on earth did this girl talk so much! She was worse than Nudge, I swear. At least she didn't seem to care whether or not I paid attention.

Throughout the day I had learned quite a lot. Nothing to do with my actual classes, of course. Apparently, I was sitting in McKinley Prep, where they had kids from kindergarten to 12th grade. Kelly also seemed to think I was obsessed with homecoming and cheerleading, as it was all she talked to me about. I had finally noticed the clothes I was wearing, and realized they were those fashion-fancy clothes I had never been able to afford; now I realized they weren't really all that comfortable, so I wasn't missing out on much. I also learned that Fang wasn't in any of my classes so far. That made my heart sink. Neither was anyone else in the flock so far, not that I expected Nudge, Gazzy, or Angel to be. I wondered if they even went to this school.

"Max, quit spacing!" Kelly called my attention again. I realized I was standing in front of the register, and had automatically gone through the cafeteria line and filled my plate. Whoops. The lunch lady glared at me and I went through my pockets, looking for cash. Oh crap. Did I have money here? You'd think with these fancy threads, I'd have something to pay for lunch!

"Uh..." I started, looking at the lunch lady with a grimace. Guess it was no lunch for me. Oh geez, she looked really pissed.

"Here," an arm next to me reached out with cash, and I looked up and realized that arm was connected to Iggy. Oh my god. Iggy. He was here. He looked so tall and blonde and pale. He turned to look at me with annoyance in his eyes. Wait, what? He could see? Iggy could see! My heart nearly stopped, and I had the urge to hug him as well. Did he remember me?

"Pay for both of them; I really have the urge to eat sometime today." He dryly said as he nudged his way around me, walking off to the other end of the cafeteria. I moved away from the line, still in shock. Iggy could see? Iggy's eyes worked! Iggy was just as normal as anyone else!

Except he couldn't remember me. My happiness deflated. Fang didn't remember me, Iggy didn't remember me, and I was sure if I saw anyone else in my flock, they wouldn't remember me either. I looked to Kelly; my only friend. She stood there waiting for me.

"Are you ok? You look really out of it." She said, some concern touching her voice. I only nodded, mumbling a "fine" as we walked to what I supposed was our usual table. I spotted a bunch of other preppy looking kids sitting there, and they waved to us. Great, so these were the type of people I was supposed to hang around with? Gag me with a spoon. I hoped they all would be as nice as Kelly seemed to be so far.

"Hey Max, Kelly," a large guy wearing a football jersey greeted us, smiling especially brightly at Kelly. She smiled back but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Hey Greg, hi everyone," she sat down at the table and I joined her. "Where's Sam?" She asked as she looked around the table.

"Don't ask me, you should be asking Max," a blonde, pale girl replied, nodding toward me with a smirk. "Hey, when'd you dye your hair pink?" She asked, smiling.

"Over the weekend," Kelly answered for me with a grin. "I did it. Doesn't it look nice?" She bubbled with enthusiasm. The girl nodded, and they got into a discussion about hair colors. All of the sudden I felt a hand on my back and jumped.

"Hey baby," a voice said as the hand slid over my shoulder. A tall guy plopped down next to me and smiled, leaning toward me. I leaned back, nearly pushing Kelly off the bench. WHAT did this guy think he was doing? I put my arm out to stop him as my other hand curled into a fist, ready to fight. His eyebrows wrinkled together and he leaned in a bit again, this time just whispering.

"Oh, ok, you don't want too much PDA," he winked at me, then leaned back into his own personal space. What the heck was he talking about? If he went into my personal bubble again, I'd show him my own version of PDA; public display of anger.

"Hey Sam," Greg nodded to the guy next to me. Oh, so this was the Sam that Kelly had been talking about? I quickly looked him over. Great. Another preppy dude. Why was I hanging out with these people? My brain was hurting just listening to their chatter. I started to tune them out when I noticed a familiar face across the room; Fang.

He was sitting down next to some other dark looking kids, not talking much like his usual Fang-y self. I had to stop myself from leaving these brainless idiots and going to sit next to him.

_Voice? You there? Got an answer for me yet?_ I asked again, but got nothing. I looked around the rest of the cafeteria, and finally spotted a few other members of my flock. I felt a bit lighter, knowing they were here.

A few tables down from Fang was Iggy, surrounded by a bunch of regular looking guys; they seemed pretty normal except for the fact no one was sitting at any of the tables within 30 feet of them.

On the other side of the cafeteria I could see Nudge with a few preppy looking girls. Ugh, why did she have to go with the preps? Although I could ask myself the same question. She was all dressed up in makeup and what I guessed was "nice fashion". She didn't even look 12 anymore.

Fnally I spotted my babies. Gazzy and Angel were sitting at a table by themselves. Gazzy had books towering over his head, and his nose was buried in one. He looked so much quieter then I was used to him, and he wasn't stuffing his face with food either. This was just too weird. I looked over at Angel. My baby. She was sitting silently as well, eating an apple at an extremely slow pace. She wore glasses that were sliding off the end of her nose, and she was gazing around the room with interest.

Suddenly she caught my eye, and was staring intently at me. Angel? Did she remember me maybe? My heart jumped at the possibility.

"Max, what do you think about the whole debate?" I heard the blond girl ask. I didn't want to tear my eyes from Angel, but she suddenly looked down. I turned back to the group.

"Debate...?" I dumbfoundedly asked.

"I'm still going with blue. You can do so much more with the decorations for the dance, plus it's much easier to match your dress with!" A brunette at the end of the table said with a smile. So they were talking about homecoming dance? Wow. Was I hanging out with a bunch of airheads or what?

_'Or what.'_

_Voice? Is that you? _Finally, it could answer my questions!

_'Who else would it be?' _The Voice replied. Was it just me, or was that a bit of sarcasm I sensed there.

_Well I never know these days,_ I dryly replied. _Did you find out what's going on?_ Maybe I could finally get out of this hell.

_'You know, all day you've been living this life that isn't yours, and it hasn't even occurred to you what happened to the person it really belongs too,' _The Voice said.

I realized it was right. What happened to the Other Max? Did she end up in my world? Oh great, this preppy chick out there, fighting Erasers and leading my flock. They were doomed. _Is the Other Max with my flock?_

_'Yes. But I still don't completely understand. Worlds have been crossed and are all scrambled, and I don't think it's going to be fixed anytime soon.'_

_Wait, how long am I going to be like this? _Oh god, please get this fixed soon. _Voice? Hello?_ But the Voice was gone. UGH! Why did it always have to leave when I had my most important questions! Who knew how much longer I'd be trapped in this place, where my own best friends that I considered my family didn't even know who I was. My heart sunk even more. This was going to be a _very_ long day.

* * *

"Max..." Fang called out Max's name. He shook her shoulders gently, brushing her hair out of her face. She rolled over and mumbled something, not wanting to wake up. Fang looked around at the rest of the flock, which was just getting up. Nudge was sleepily rubbing her eyes, and Angel trying to pat down her rumpled curls. Gazzy blinked away at sleep quickly, the first thing coming to mind food, as usual.

"Fang, what are we getting for breakfast?" Gazzy asked.

Fang shrugged. "I'm not sure. Max will probably tell us where we're going," he smirked, shaking her shoulders again. "Max, get up."

"Hey Max, I think you've had enough beauty sleep. Get up, we're hungry," Iggy teased from across the cave they were staying in. He stretched his wings in the back of the cave, yawning. Max rolled over again, her eyes starting to blink open slowly.

"FINALLY, I'M STARVING, MAX!" Gazzy exclaimed, ready and raring to go. Max's eyes suddenly flew open, filled with panic.

"Max?" Fang asked with worry as she scrambled back, her back hitting the cave wall.

"Where am I? Who are you guys?" She cried out, looking around at the flock in fear. She noticed Iggy's wings stretching out at the back of the cave, and let out a piercing scream. Then she fainted.

A/N: So hope you guys liked it, I'll try to have the next chapter uploaded by next week, but no promises. I'm writing it now but you know how life gets in the way. Especially with work and school and stuff. Review please, and you gets and internet cookie! :)


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